1941 Willys Pro Street
The 1941-1942 Willys Americar was an ordinary but well-built compact passenger car produced under the presidency of Joseph W. Frazer (later of Kaiser-Frazer) and engineered by Barney Roos. The L-head four-cylinder engine and ladder chassis were conventional, while the sharp-nosed body styling owed a little to previous Hudson's and Nashs.
Straying from its original design, but still in keeping with the theme, we have a Pro Street version with an Outlaw body and chassis. Put in a massive 462ci Supercharged Chevy Engine that shines bright enough you need a pair of shades to look at it, and fabricate a custom interior, kids we are ready to play.
Exterior
This Outlaw fiberglass is all in very nice condition and has PPG Dark Garnet Red below the belt line which fades to pristine Silver on the upper parts of this rod and does so through a licking flames transition along the belt line. A big hood scoop is on to accommodate the supercharger and feed it plenty of air. The teardrop style headlights are nicely inset into the fenders and pointy hood is flanked on the lower part of it by a rectangular shaped vertical toothed grille. The back of this car has a beautiful line as it forms the split oval rear window and curvaceous trunk line. Inside those massive exaggerated but still tastefully shaped fenders are 15 inch Team III ET Gasser wheels upfront, and 15 inch Team III ET Fuelie wheels on back in polished aluminum. The rear wheels are wrapped by giant 31x18.50R15 radials, and the fronts by 26x7.5x15 radials. Smoke 'em if ya got 'em!
Interior
A swing of the doors and we are met with totally custom interior with a Garnet Red upper dash with a Silver crushed velvet lower panel. The Garnet Red upper houses the Classic Instruments Winged Series gauges, and a Flaming River adjustable steering column. The lower front dash in crushed velvet houses the ignition, AM/FM/CD player and fan controls which all work and blow hot and cold air. A crushed velvet center console houses the B&M Street Bandit Shifter and the Dakota digital power window controls. Seats keep the two-tone motif in hand with gray cloth inserts and vinyl bolsters in the Garnet Red. These seats are nice high back power buckets. Maroon carpet floods the floors under the seats and provides a beautiful contrast to the gray crushed velvet console. More crushed velvet for the gray headliner, and gray door panels. The crushed velvet is a wonderful tactile addition and I was distracted by it during my test drive. Smoooooooth!
Drivetrain
Here's the money shot, with all chromed and polished add ons to the Big Al's Toybox... consigner states all the following facts...454ci (bored to 462ci) with a Roots style supercharged Chevy mill. This is topped by dual Edelbrock 800 CFM 4-barrel carbs and throws power rearward to a 3-speed TH400 automatic transmission with a Transgo shift kit, manual valve body, and a 3500 stall converter with anti balloon plates. A Ford 9-inch rear with 3.70 gears makes the rear wheel spin. There has been a manually controlled transmission cooler added, as well as dual 14-inch electric fans for the cooling system. Think non nitro funny car engine shape, and you'll be close to the look.
Undercarriage
More mechanical eye candy under here with a Flaming River manual rack and pinion setup, complete with coil-over shocks. The rear has 4 link with coil-overs suspension, and directly behind it is a 19 gallon aluminum fuel tank. Wilwood 4-wheel power disc brakes add the woah! power, and Flowmaster 10 series mufflers gather the exhaust from Sanderson ceramic coated headers and push them back through 3-inch ceramic coated pipes.
Drive-Ability
A quick starter, and as it warms up think of it as an orchestra getting ready to play a symphony. We took her out and from personal passenger experience this car is an E ticket ride! The radials take a while to hook up, but when they do, I would be willing to say you could do a low 11 second quarter with this car. And the sound it incredible. The car is very stable despite its power, and you can easily drive it normally on a back road or boulevard.
A not often seen car even in its original form, but this Outlaw version is truly fun-tastic! With its wide fiberglass fenders, shaved hood, and two tone Garnet Red to Silver flame blend, massive hood and that crushed velvet, my friends this is an awesome build with some serious balls. And the engine and drivetrain are true visual bling. Sunglasses please, and I'll have a bullet to bite on during takeoff.
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special interest automobile showroom, featuring over 450 vehicles for sale with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914. Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.